Fire-extinguishing compositions



Patented I Mar. 23, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE No Drawing.ApplicationApril 10, 1936,Seria No. 73,723

11 Claims.

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 3'700. G. 757) This application is made under the act of March 3, 1883, asamended by the act of April 30, 1928, and the invention describedherein, ifpatented, may be manufactured and used by or 5 tor theGovernment for governmental purposes without the payment to me of anyroyalty thereon.

This invention relates to an improvement in fire-extinguishingcompositions and particularly to the inclusion in such compositions of amaterial that greatly increases their efiectiveness.

The principles of this invention are applicable to almost every type offire-extinguishing composition and for that reason it may be well, atthe 5 outset, to describe briefly the more important types ofextinguishing compositions. compositions operate on the same principle,that v is, of covering the fire with an inert material, either solid,liquid, vapor, or 'gas, which excludes air and thus smothers the flame.

One class of compositions consists of materials adapted to be applieddirectly to the flame. Such material may be a liquid, such ascarbontetrachloride, or a powder, containing sodium bicarbonate, sodiumborate, boric acid, ammonium phosphate, sand, ashes, infusorial earth,mica, asbestos, talc or other materials, in various combinations orproportions.

Another kind of fire-extinguishing composition 0 Q consists of two ormore materials that upon the mixing will form a gas or foam which may bereleased upon the fire. The ordinary soda-acid extinguisher and" theextinguisher that depends for its action upon sodium bicarbonate,aluminum sulphate and a foam stabilizer such as licorice extract, usethis type of composition.

According to the present invention any of the fire-extinguishingcompositions described may be improved and made much more effective bythe addition thereto of chlorinatedorganic materials of a resinousnature. The materials that have beenfound best suited for this purposeare chlorinated rubber, chlorinated petroleum derivatives,

chlorinated vinyl resin and chlorinated turpentine. The degree ofchlorinationdoes not appear to be highly critical. Rubber chlorinated tothe extent of around 70%, vinyl resin about 40% chlorinated, paraflinabout 60% chlorinated'and' rosin chlorinated to the extent of around55%,' all appear to be satisfactory. Various percentages of chlorinatedmaterial may be used in the compositions. It has been found that around15% is preferable.

I The reason. for the increased e flectiveness of thecompositions'including the chlorinated resin All of these ous compoundsis not entirely understood, but the eifect is evident upon comparison ofthe extinguishing compositions with and without the chlorinated materialadded and it seems that the chlorinated products may either reduce the 5volatility of the liquids present, aid in covering the flame, or yield,upon heating, products that tend to smother the fire. Particularly afterthe fire has once begun to subside does the new composition appear to beof particular advantage, 10 because it thoroughly completes the job ofextinguishing the fire instead of rapidly vaporizing and allowing thefire to start over again.

In order that the present invention may be more thoroughly understood,the following may be 15 given as formulas for fire-extinguishingcompositions embodying the principles of this invention:

DRY Poworm Ex'rmeorsnme' CoMrosrrIoN The above examples of compositionsillustrate the'principl'es of this invention but it is to be 45understood that they are not the only ways that the principles may beapplied. For example, the resinous materials may be. added to the waterin a'hose stream or in asprinkler system or in a fire department pumper,and many other formulas 50 for fire-extinguishing compositions-includingthe f chlorinated materials maybe easilyide'vi'sed.

In incorporating the chlorinated materis'tls. they-may bemerely mixed inpowder-.forr'nWith other dry. materials, they may be 'stlrredfinto55liquids immediately before use, particularly in the case of their usewith water, they may be dissolved, as in carbontetraohloride, or theymay be emulsified with the other materials.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to secure by LettersPatent is:

1. A composition for extinguishing fires that includes a material forsmothering the fire and a stable, non-volatile chlorinated organicmaterial of relatively high molecular weight.

2. A composition for extinguishing fires that includes a material forsmothering the fire and a stable, non-volatile chlorinated resinousorganic material.

3. A composition for extinguishing fires that includes a material forsmothering the fire and chlorinated parafiin.

4-. A composition for extinguishing fires that includes a material forsmothering the fire and chlorinated rubber.

5 An improvement in fire-extinguishing compositions that comprisesincluding in the com position a stable, non-volatile chlorinated organicmaterial of relatively high molecular weight.

6. A composition for extinguishing fires that comprises anon-inflammable liquid and a stable,

non-volatile chlorinated organic material oi relatively high molecularweight.

7. A composition for extinguishing fires that comprisescarbontetrachloride and a stable, nonvolatile chlorinated organicmaterial of relatively high molecular weight.

8. A composition for extinguishing fires that comprises water and astable, non-volatile chlor inated organic material of relatively highmolecular weight.

9. A composition for extinguishing fires that comprises a, plurality ofmaterials that will react

